'austraLasia' #612
WEATHER OR NOT...
Funny but true!
SUVA: 13th June -- Don Bosco House Suva has
not just a new bursar, but a man who has already made some local impact,
including solid connections with the Fiji Weather Bureau. DBH now
makes twice daily recordings with sophisticated equipment by way of three types
of thermometer, weather 'house' and rain-gauge, all on loan of course.
Today, for the first time, Bro. Steve was proudly showing off the rain gauge to
the Rector; it is set in an open piece of ground at the back of the house.
But today, like many at this time of the year, was rainless and in fact a
delightful, partly cloudy 27.5 C. (note the precise accuracy). The Rector
was intrigued to discover a little less than a millimetre of 'rain'
recorded. The 'weather man' was perplexed - surely it could not be
condensation and the humidity is somwhat less than 100%. The Rector
playfully suggested there might be some small boys around....and then the truth
dawned on both observers: no small boys, but two large dogs! And sure
enough, a quick sniff and check of the outside as well as the inside of the
gauge revealed the full tale.
Actually, Fijians have a proverb, 'kurusiga', which
literally means 'thunder without rain' but translates better as 'the
dog's bark is worse than its bite'. Not just its bark, it would
seem.
